Categories

AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT 2015 Bible

The most comprehensive AutoCAD book around!

Working faster with layers

You can modify more than one layer at a time. In the Layer Properties Manager dialog box (click Layers on the Object Properties toolbar) right-click and choose Select All or Clear All. Choose a range of layers by clicking the first layer, holding down Shift and clicking the last in the range. Choose multiple individual layers by pressing Ctrl as you choose each additional layer. Changes to color, linetype, or lineweight affect all the selected layers. And don’t forget that you can sort the listing by any column. For example, if you want to change all your red layers to magenta, click the word “Color” at the top of the Color column to sort all your layers by color. You can now easily select all the red layers to change their color.

Ellen Finkelstein

3 comments to Working faster with layers

  • Peter Deniet

    I use AutoCAD 2009 and 2012. In 2009, when I open the pull-down menu of layers, I can turn the current layer off, turn on layers that are currently off and then select the layer that I want to be the new current. In 2012, I can’t do this because, if I try to turn the current layer off, I get a warning message which exits me from the pull-down menu.
    How can I more easily turn the current layer off, turn a layer that is currently off back on and then make that newly on layer the current layer without getting the warning message and without exiting the menu before I’m done with it?
    Peter

  • Hans Graveman

    Set EXPERT to 5 take care to return it to the previous setting because it will overwrite blocks without warning
    EXPERT (System Variable)

    Controls whether certain prompts are issued.

    Type: Integer
    Saved in: Not-saved
    Initial value: 0
    0
    Issues all prompts normally.
    1
    Suppresses “About to regen, proceed?” and “Really want to turn the current layer off?” (-LAYER)
    2
    Suppresses the preceding prompts and “Block already defined. Redefine it?” (-BLOCK) and “A drawing with this name already exists. Overwrite it?” (SAVE or WBLOCK).
    3
    Suppresses the preceding prompts and those issued by the LINETYPE Command prompt (-LINETYPE) if you try to load a linetype that’s already loaded or create a new linetype in a file that already defines that linetype.
    4
    Suppresses the preceding prompts and those issued by UCS Save and VPORTS Save if the name you supply already exists.
    5
    Suppresses the prompt, “That name is already in Use, redefine it?” issued by the -DIMSTYLE Save option when you supply the name of an existing dimension style.
    Suppresses the same prompt issued by the -SCALELISTEDIT Add option.
    When a prompt is suppressed by EXPERT, the operation in question is performed as though you entered y at the prompt.
    NoteSetting EXPERT can affect scripts, menu macros, AutoLISP, and the command functions.

  • Peter Deniet

    Hans, I tried Expert 5 to no avail. I still get a warning that takes me out of the Layer drop-down list if I turn off the current layer. I hope there is some setting that keeps that from happening.

    Thanks, Peter

Leave a Reply

You can use these HTML tags

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>